Strike the Blood

Kojou Akatsuki's days as an ordinary high school student in the Demon District of Itogami Island come to an abrupt end after a fateful encounter leaves him with the remarkable abilities of a vampire.

It isn't long before he is thrust into the center of attention when it is discovered that he is the fourth primogenitor, an immensely powerful vampire whom most consider to be merely a legend. Fearing Kojou's destructive potential, the Lion King Organization sends in an apprentice sword-shaman, Yukina Himeragi, to monitor, and should he become a threat, kill the boy deemed the world's most powerful vampire. Forced together by circumstance, the two form an unlikely alliance as Kojou comes to terms with his abilities and they both struggle to protect the city from various emerging chaotic forces.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Strike the Blood adapts volumes 1 through 6 of the original light novel series. The series was banned in China due to its violent content and plot filled with crimes against "public morality."

Episode Videos

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Strike the Blood
Side story:	Strike the Blood: Valkyria no Oukoku-hen
Sequel:	Strike the Blood II

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Himeragi, Yukina

Main

Taneda, Risa
Japanese

Akatsuki, Kojou

Main

Hosoya, Yoshimasa
Japanese

Aiba, Asagi

Main

Seto, Asami
Japanese

Rihavein, La Folia

Supporting

Oonishi, Saori
Japanese

Kirasaka, Sayaka

Supporting

Hayama, Ikumi
Japanese

Minamiya, Natsuki

Supporting

Kanemoto, Hisako
Japanese

Kanase, Kanon

Supporting

Itou, Kanae
Japanese

Astarte

Supporting

Iguchi, Yuka
Japanese

Yaze, Motoki

Supporting

Oosaka, Ryouta
Japanese

Akatsuki, Reina

Supporting

Asumi, Kana
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Nakayama, Nobuhiro

Producer

Kananiwa, Kozue

Producer

Tabeya, Masahiro

Producer

Nakagawa, Jirou

Producer

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Opening Theme

	1: "Strike the Blood (ストライク・ザ・ブラッド)" by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets (eps 2-7, 9-13)
	2: "Fight 4 Real" by ALTIMA (eps 14-24)

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Ending Theme

	1: "Strike the Blood (ストライク・ザ・ブラッド)" by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets (eps 1)
	2: "Strike my soul" by Yuka Iguchi (eps 2-13)
	3: "signal" by Kanon Wakeshima (eps 14-24)

More reviews

Reviews

May 7, 2014

afterwards

Recommended

The tags "Action, Ecchi, Fantasy, School, Shounen, Vampire, Supernatural" actually summarize the show pretty well, with the exception of "school" perhaps. If you want to watch a normal guy who stumbles upon ridiculous powers and then proceeds to save the world and get a lot of female attention; then here you go.

One of the things to appreciate here is that what you see is what you get. It's a straightforward anime you can get some escapism/ good sequences out of (be them of the girls or of the action). I also think that the first few episodes are quite representative of the series as ...

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Mar 28, 2014

Stark700

Mixed Feelings

It’s not hard to figure out what Strike the Blood might be about at first even if you’re coming into the show completely fresh. The key words are ‘blood’ and ‘strike’ where the latter is when our main male protagonist Akatsuki Kojo does his mojo to satisfy his blood lust. There’s hardly anything too original related this series. After all, we get the typical mysterious guy meets young girl in a city on an ordinary day. Then, a not-so-normal event happens and the duo gets caught in events they didn’t think could get both involved. But if we add everything together, Strike the Blood comes ... together as a little more than a show to induce nosebleeds.

Strike the Blood is an animated series based off the light novel of the same name written by Gakuto Mikumo. This is not his first work as he has previously been involved with series such as Dantalian no Shoka, the Zettai Karen novels, and Asura Cryin’. What he brings into Strike the Blood has a little taste of all of those elements in his previous works but transform it into a meat package – a series with a main protagonist that feeds off of others to control its users’ familiars.

An anime series involving with vampires. That’s hardly original in any sense either with its generics. There’s plenty of anime that followed similar ideas such as Vampire Knight, Karin, or Blood+. Strike the Blood takes our main male protagonist Akatsuki Kojo and makes him into a big name in a big city. For instance, most people who knows about his origins and status as the Fourth Progenitor, the world’s strongest vampire. As the title strikes both a bit of fear and respect, it’s no surprise that he is a man to take notice of especially for his observer, Yukina Himeragi. For the duo, their relationship begins kicks off with a rocky start loaded with misunderstandings, confusion, and animosity. Given the fact that Yukina’s job is to observe Akatsuki makes their relationship seem even more awkward as the former would be labeled as a stalker in some ways. At the same time, Akatsuki becomes annoyed by her presence. It’s also not exactly the best combination with Yukina’s anti-progenitor spear always on hand. It seems to serve as a warning sign should Akatsuki goes out of control. Over time however, the duo gets along better with Yukina even developing a seemingly crush on the young man. Outcomes like this should not be taken as a surprise however. While the duo lacks strong chemistry, they share a similar feeling towards those they encounter and the city they live in. It’s through their willingness to help others that ties them together to make the duo stronger.

Based off a light novel series, the series divides itself in arc format with a certain set of episodes focusing on a specific event/character/conflict that requires a solution. In total, there are 7 arcs covering the light novels. More importantly is the fact that each arc focuses on a different character with a different otherworldly conflict. It brings out the diversity that the audience can get accustomed to. There’s all types of otherworldly beings that the show focuses on whether it’s vampires, werewolves, angels, or witches. Along with that, each arc also progresses Akatsuki’s relationships with others as he gets stronger. Unfortunately, his lack of characterization doesn’t shine with his past being left in unexplored territories. This falls under a similar case for Yukina as the audience hardly knows about them beyond their purpose on the surface. Other characters of course also plays their roles in each arc, some more than others with a particular few getting veritable moments. But because each arc changes its tone, audience should be ready to adjust themselves to match the mood with its themes. There might also be some sort of hidden moral that progresses the story although most of it is obscure and seems cliched . Unfortunately for Akatsuki, there’s little focus on his goals or morals as the show itself doesn’t give an impression as if it he had one at all in the first place. With the way he is dressed. Akatsuki is more of the lone wolf and he only gets into situations because of his status.

While the word ‘diverse’ can be used to describe a favorable stance to adapt an anime’s character cast, there is also generics that makes up the other half. The majority of the main characters are female that falls under some sort of characteristic that comes off as generic as it can be. We have Yukina, the girl that observes Kojo 24/7 as her role. There’s the typical classmate Asagi Aiba with an obvious crush on Kojo. Nagisa Akatsuki plays the role of the little sister with her chatty mouth but lack of understanding of the supernatural world. Then, there’s the tsundere Sayaka Kirasaka whom often says things that means the opposite way around. Each arc also features a prominent character that is the focus of its story. Most of them are always female and shouldn’t be a surprise with a show like Strike the Blood. It’s predictable with most endings of each arc with Akatsuki doing the striking and blood spilled for authentic reasons.

The action of Strike the Blood can be described as thrilling but not anything that blows itself out of the water. If I had to describe it, it would fall under the line of dangerous but also hectic. Each arc features a different conflict so the action tends to diverse itself a bit in terms of presentation. However, one key factor always strikes at heart with Akatsuki’s blood lust. The earlier stages plays it off as a necessity but later on ventures into a more erotic allurement. It shouldn’t be surprising at all with hints given already featuring its fan service moments. There’s the pantsu, honey trap, and misunderstandings all over the place that brings out Strike the Blood’s generics to its core. Surprisingly enough, the show omits the traditional onsen/beach episode. Perhaps it was too busy focusing on its conflicts in each arc to given our characters a vacation or it wanted to go beyond its setting. Who knows? What it’s known is the fact that Akatsuki always gets his fun (not the way he sees it though) in each and every single arc. Fun itself can also give the audience different impression. The show sometimes likes to make fun of itself with little gags. Even the organization Yukina belongs to is hard to take serious at first with a name like “Lion King”. We also can’t forget about some of the dialogues that comes out in the wrong way with most coming out as cheesy. Finally, there’s also bits of romance. Unfortunately, that territory is something Akatsuki seems to have the least interest in. Despite obvious advances, Akatsuki doesn’t seem to show actual interest in any of the girls that approaches him besides satisfying his blood lust. Every meal means he gets a little satisfaction but not in a romantic sense. If you’re looking for a developing romantic story, Strike the Blood is the wrong place to be. Akatsuki is just not a bachelor for his candidates.

Silver Link animated Strike the Blood. On a technical level, the style of the series fits well with its supernatural themes. The Demon District, Itogami City also gives off an impression of aspects with its advancing arts. Most otherworldly beings are depicted accurately with credibility. Unfortunately, some of the character designs lacks a bit with any unique features. The school uniforms looks generic and hardly stands out. Akatsuki’s design makes him look like a loner with his hood covering his head that viewers will feel less attached to. Other characters such as Nagisa Minamiya has appearances that contrasts their age. Supporting main characters are also hardly noticeable despite some of their status. On the other hand, the background art of its city gives an impression of a luxurious display with its aquatic-like attributes.

Soundtrack can come off as a mixed bag. On the surface, it is consistent to match its style. But at the same time, it can come off as just being there with nothing to focus directly on. The OP and ED songs offers a montage of the main characters as well as possible foreshadowing. With a show like Strike the Blood though, the arcs can be predictable already anyways. But for what’s worth, most of the characters’ voice acting is remarkable. The only sting is the dialogues themselves that comes off as cheesy and lacks distinguishing moments. However, I do give praise to their voice mannerism especially for Yukina (Risa Taneda). Even though she just began recently with animated voice acting, there’s promising potential for her with a role of a main character.

In the end, Strike the Blood is another typical series with nothing stellar that strikes hard at home. It has its harem vibes, the fan service, the gimmicky gags, and predictable arc conclusions. However, it does bring out a diverse cast of characters that offers attention. Not only that but Akatsuki isn’t your typical wimpy main lead. He often takes charge despite not like being part a conflict. If only the show focused on him more rather than adding a girl to his harem every arc would bring out much more potential. On the other hand, each arc does have potential with its diversity. While some of it is colored with gags, it does progress the story’s overall themes. It could take a bit of patience to get used to this show overall in the end but that’s how it is really.

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Jul 3, 2014

MachinaEm

Mixed Feelings

My expectations for Strike the Blood were simple: I wanted lots of action with some romance thrown in. Instead, I feel like I got the opposite. Overall, I was disappointed in some areas and pleasantly surprised in others. Though I don't regret watching it, I wish the show had only 12 episodes instead of 24.

Story: 6

To put it simply, the story for this show is mediocre. It isn't outstanding, but nor is it bad. It simply fulfills its duty to carry along the main premise of the show, which focuses more on the relationships between characters (primarily, of course, between the leading hero Koujo and ...

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Himeragi, Yukina

Akatsuki, Kojou

Aiba, Asagi

Rihavein, La Folia

Kirasaka, Sayaka

Minamiya, Natsuki

Kanase, Kanon

Astarte

Yaze, Motoki

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